Snook.ca

Quiet Time

Unbelievably—at least, to me—I’ve been speaking at conferences for over 11 years now.

I’m finding it difficult not to be self-congratulatory in recognizing that I’ve been doing it so long.

I still remember my first talk at Webvisions. I had a full slide deck of JavaScript tidbits to cover. I don’t think I looked up from my computer once as I delivered my talk. I was nervous and wholly unsure of what I was doing.

All these years later, I still get nervous but I learned to look up from the computer and talk to the audience.

I’m not sure that I ever became a great speaker but I think I managed to become a good speaker. I enjoyed sharing my experiences with whatever it was that I had been working on in hopes that it might spark an idea in someone else.

I’ve seen our industry fill with highly qualified, passionate, and excited people clambering for a chance to speak. There’s nothing I have to say that someone else isn’t already saying and they’re probably saying it better than I am.

For that reason among others, I’ve decided to take an extended break from public speaking. I’m in need of some quiet time.

Hi. My name is Jonathan Snook and this is my site. I write about what interests me, which is usually web design, development, and technology. I'm also in the middle of a food adventure.
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